Over 100 young Afghan scholars from Islamic Seminaries in Pakistan were sent to Afghanistan after the Taliban captured the city Mazar-i-Sharif from the northern opposition. The students were sent by their seminaries after the Taliban requested the support of young men to maintain control of the city. More students are expected to join the war after the Talibanís recent request for manpower.

Many of the Talibanís leaders were trained at the same Islamic Seminaries in Pakistan before they took control of Afghanistan two years ago and instituted gender apartheid. The Taliban control about two-thirds of the country, where they have imposed strict Islamic law. Women are not allowed out of their homes unless accompanied by a male relative, and must always be covered in a head-to-toe veil. Because the Taliban will not permit women to work, most schools and hospitals have been forced to shut down.